February 15, 2010

It’s one thing to promise your customers to beat the price of your competitors, but by actually sending a check to your consumer, you are providing them with tangible, concrete proof of your guarantee. Orbitz has introduced the idea of sending a check to their patrons if the price of their flight/vacation package depreciates. They have coined this service, “price assurance”.

It’s hard not to have a positive response to a company when they physically send you money. For many consumers, something gets lost in translation with electronic transactions, but an actual check is a physical manifestation of Orbitz’s promise to deliver low prices. The concrete idea that Orbitz is trying to get across is that they will save you money. Although this point is communicated by their advertisements and website deals, it becomes much easier to visualize when you are physically holding money (in a form of check) in your hands.

According to Chip and Dan Heath’s book “Made to Stick”, the effectiveness of concreteness lies in the nature of our memories (p. 109). While a consumer may remember the fact that Orbitz reimbursed them for their vacation when the price was lowered, the message resonates more through the concreteness of receiving a check. Orbitz also labels this service “price assurance”. By naming the abstract concept of comparing and compiling competitive travel rates by way of a succinct phrase such as “price assurance”, it not only makes the service identifiable, it allows for the consumer to better understand and visualize the benefits of using Orbitz.